Now we are beginning to head north for the summer:
Just over the Arkansas border is Crater of Diamonds State Park, where you can dig all the dirt you want, in search of riches. Unfortunately for us, it rained all night after we arrived, so we were digging, slipping and sliding in mud. Several hours of that much fun was enough for us and we were moving on the next day, without any precious gems to show for all of our digging and washing.
Hot Springs, Arkansas, is home to historic Bathhouse Row, where the rich and/or famous have visited since the early 1900’s to soak in and drink the warm mineral waters. Modern spas are still available in beautiful buildings, with one original bathhouse still usable.
March produced blooms on some of our favorite flowering trees (Redbud and Dogwood), vines (Wisteria) and spring bulbs.
Wye Mountain Daffodil fields were just past their prime, but still showy enough for us to enjoy.
We had to check Asheville, North Carolina, off of our To-Visit list. Located in the eastern hills of the state, it features many historic homes, local artists exhibits and the fabulous Biltmore Estate.
The 250 room Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895, on 125,000 acres of land, some of which has been donated and sold over the years, and it is still the largest privately owned home in the U.S. Vanderbilt included 35 bedrooms to accommodate visiting family and friends. Descendents of George still own and manage the estate today.
While not as ornate as the Rhode Island Vanderbilt mansions, the home and grounds are very impressive.
One of the buildings on the estate was hosting an exhibit of Dale Chihuly works, one of our favorite glass artists. 
Day Two at Biltmore was spent in the gardens, where the beautiful displays of spring bulbs and shrubs were very impressive. The gardens are huge, encompassing many trails through landscaped gardens, ponds and woods.
Biltmore Village was built to house the many employees of Biltmore Estate, and the village is now part of Asheville. The buildings were all beautifully constructed and even the McDonalds boasts that it is the most beautiful McDonalds in the U.S. and includes a player piano.
(Sadly, a year after we visited, a massive flood event destroyed much of this beautiful area.)
Rafael Guastavino was brought in to work on The Biltmore, and then he decided to stay in the area. In 1905 – 1909, he was the architect on the Basilica Saint Lawrence, in Asheville, which boasts the largest, freestanding, elliptical dome in North America. Guastavino is interred in the basilica.
In Greensboro, we visited a former Woolworth’s building where, in 1960, four young black men sat at the counter and asked to be served. Fortunately, the manager did not want any trouble, so he allowed a sit-in to continue for months, until the Woolworth’s Company decided that everyone could be seated at the lunch counter. This interesting story was told to us by our docent, who had herself been part of integrating a segregated school in 1968. 
Highpoint, North Carolina, is the ‘Furniture Capital of the World’, and to prove that they have built the ‘World’s Largest Dresser’. It is big! 
Two weeks in Washington, D.C. was our next adventure. It was now April, and most of the cherry blossoms were finished, but we did get to see some of the late-bloomer trees, and they were very pretty. 
We found a campground in Maryland that was perfect for our needs. They provided their own bus tours, plus they provided a tutorial, maps, passes, etc.; all that was needed to learn about, and use the available public transportation. The transportation system was so easy to use; easy to read maps and one single pass that covered boarding the bus, train, D.C. Circulator and even the parking garages. Along with senior citizen rates and half-price on weekends, we were thrilled with the ease and costs of getting around. And once in the Capital, getting around was fairly easy by either walking or hopping on one of the constantly roving circulators.
It is hard to pick photos of our two weeks there, everything is historic, iconic, etc. and we took a LOT of photos. Some of the highlights:
Korean War Memorial
Some of the monuments were well-lit and very pretty at night.
Some things were just plain dazzling at any time of the day.
Parks dedicated to famous people were all around, and easy to walk between. This was in FDR’s park.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is accessed by a bus ride to Arlington Cemetery, a beautiful and somber place.
The Viet Nam Memorial:
Photos from our last day in D.C.
We drove through many kinds of neighborhoods on our various bus trips around the area.
More fun coming soon!